I just got home from hearing a man named Father Greg Boyle speak at the County Office of Education's "Conversations With..." which is put on by the San Joaquin County Office of Education. The format is really interesting. The guest speaker sits down with Mick and the conversation goes where ever it may go. Mick asks questions and the audience also has the chance to participate. Last month a man named Darrel Scott came and spoke. Darrel Scott's daughter Rachel Scott was one of the first students to be shot at the Columbine High massacre. They have a website that I highly recommend anybody educator, student, whomever should visit and read. You can find it
here. What I took away from Darrel's conversation was that as a person and especially as an educator who works with at risk youth, you must always focus on the positive. You cannot focus on the drama or the negative. If you do, it will drive you crazy. Also you need to focus your energy and approach our students in a positive manner. Today during school I was coaxing students into getting to class as I do in between every passing period. As I was speaking loudly to a group of students one of my seniors suggested I "put some bass in your voice" which was his way of saying "get tough on these stragglers". I nodded to him and when the group got moving I said to him quietly "You know, I used to yell and holler and be kind of loud but I've found that you guys react a lot better when I asking nicely and in a positive way." He just chuckled and walked with me down the hall. I can't tell you when this practice began and it's still a daily struggle to remain calm and positive when students are casually walking to class and talking and almost ignoring me when I am asking them to get to where they need to get. I do know the change was gradual and did not change over night. Little by little my approach and outlook towards my students has come full circle. I think that early on I kind of took on a negative, confrontational approach at times and the results were disastrous. I'm not saying that I still don't sometimes get fired up and verbally let loose every now and then but those reactions are slowly becoming less and less frequent. It just doesn't help the situation. So I remember both Jeff Eben's speech and Darrel Scott's speech when I feel I need a little guidance on which way to approach a student. Jeff Eben is another educator who works in Clovis California, near Fresno. I saw him speak a few years ago and he was awe inspiring. His story is awesome. You should visit his website
here. Ultimately I've come up with my own words of wisdom and that's "Negativity will get you nowhere."
Tonights speaker was amazing. I believe that books will be written about this man and his accomplishments. His humility is what really inspires me. I feel that this man deserves alot more accolades and praise then he has received and that hopefully one day he receives the recognition he deserves. He does not want this for himself which is one of the things that makes him so great. Father Greg Boyle is a priest who has been working with gang members throughout Los Angeles for the past 25 years. If you have never heard of him I recommend stopping by his website which can be found
here. Also you can see some great video's of him speaking at various events on youtube,
here is a video.
What I will take away from Father Boyle is that my role in the rehabilitation of a young person is vital. That without a "love caring adult who pays attention" then a child has little or no chance. He spoke about people "discovering the truth of who we are" and how people must "redefine" themselves. He also spoke about the process of gang intervention and that it is a long process. He said that in the beginning of his work he would simply get ex-gang members jobs and that was the main focus. But he said now, it is more like recovery. Like and alcoholic a gang member must be ready to change before any progress can be made. He said "I can't save anybody" that people save themselves. He told many heart wrenching stories about young people whom he's known and have died due to gangs. But like Darrel Scott he talked about not letting death "punk you out". Not letting death get you down is an important message. Father Boyle lost one of his workers to gang violence the Saturday before giving this speech. You could tell he was troubled by the event but he kept his composure and helped uplift all of the people in the audience with his message.
I am very grateful that I work for an agency that brings people like this into my midst. I feel renewed after these events which is why I attend them. Like anybody I get the feeling of being 'burnt out' and listening to people who are inspiring renews my spirit. Without a strong spirit or a strong sense of 'self' we as educator's could not go on day in day out and continue our journeys with a positive outlook. It's up to us to be the guiding light in many lost lives. Regardless of who you think 'should' be mentoring these young people, it is our responsibility to do as much as we can with whatever we can to help enrich and guide our 'kids'.
My own journey has led me towards technology, music and art in an effort to reach young people and hopefully inspire a passion that I have always had for creativity. In a way it's selfish as I choose to interact with students in a form that I find interesting but at the same time, through shared passion we find common ground. I look forward to the future and the new ground I am going to step on and I will look back on nights like these when I am in need of guidance or when I need a lift of spirits.
I am truly blessed.
Learning how to do 'Rembrandt lighting'.
